In this time of change, disintermediation, and outsourcing, participants agreed that successful
information professionals will need to be adaptable, continuously updating their skillsets and redefining their roles. The symposium participants identified several skills necessary for succeeding in this
environment including technology skills, knowledge of intellectual property and copyright, as well as domain-specific knowledge and skills. The participants largely agreed with Bonnie, who stated that knowledge of specific information technologies would be less important than understanding how IT can contribute to specific customer or organizational goals. Duncan added that technology is a means to an end. The symposium participants did agree that some iSchools and iSchool programs are more IT-focused than others.
Panelists discussed the importance of mastering specific computer programming languages. Symposium participants agreed that exposure to computer programming is helpful, but that this is not a core skill expected of all graduates. Gary suggested our goal should be to ensure that our graduates have
knowledge of and are comfortable with the ‘primitives of computation’ that are a standard part of being literate in today’s world. Gary noted that computer science skills may help get the first job, but
information skills help get the promotion. Symposium participants agreed with Duncan, who added that skills of technology assessment are also critically important in understanding the scope of a problem and recommending solutions.
Both Anne and Duncan mentioned examples of information professionals serving their clients or communities in embedded roles where they work within business units or in government offices.
Bonnie noted that information professionals serving in embedded roles will need to acquire domain-specific knowledge in addition to information skills. Buck argued that this trend suggests the
importance of a problem-oriented outlook for our graduates, instead of a discipline-specific outlook.
Participants in the symposium did not go into a lot of detail on the topic of analytics, except to say that it was important and is being addressed to some degree in the iSchools through specific courses or
certifications. Additional time would have allowed for a discussion of the appropriate role of the iSchool in helping our graduates develop analytics expertise and for preparing managers with the skill-sets necessary to use analytics to support data-informed decision making.
These panelists all expect information professionals to master a suite of ‘soft skills’ including collaboration and creative problem solving. Duncan Smith stressed the importance of information professionals taking an entrepreneurial stance. This stance encompasses a set of customer-oriented
103 habits and skills ranging from engaging with customers, identifying problems, and then collaborating within and across institutions to craft and implement solutions. Duncan also made the point that successful information professionals will find ways to use information to solve problems in the context of specific communities. This requires skills of listening and a “commitment to a spirit of curiosity.”
Answering the question: “how does our profession add value to our communities?” may provide guidance for how we educate information professionals. He added that one of our biggest problems is the lack of imagination in solving envisioning our role and proposing solutions to problems. Barbara Wildemuth and Liz Liddy noted their iSchools recruit students with a history of demonstrating creative problem-solving and risk taking. Sarah Michalak and Susan Nutter noted that they explicitly seek out individuals with creative problem-solving skills during the hiring process.
Buck elaborated on this point by suggesting that the iSchools seek out the most important
conversations, find big problems that span disciplines and communities, and then work to solve them.
Buck made the point that the information professions were tangentially involved in the two most important conversations to occur in our field in the last 20 years: search and design. The challenge now is to be ready to be a part of the most important conversations for the next 20 years. He argues that research universities have the capacity and responsibility to be leaders in those conversations. There are very few research institutions that can be trusted as honest brokers like universities.
Once the iSchools figure out what conversations we need to be a part of, Buck recommended creating problem-based teams. Doing so will require ‘opening the tent’ by openly collaborating with partners across disciplines as well as with industry and customers or end-users. It will also require creating a university culture that supports ‘problem-based’ teams which draw expertise from throughout the academy. Buck cited the problem of turning content into commerce described in his paper. This is a problem the iSchools can address in partnership with Journalism, the Law school, the University Press, and Economics as well as content creators and consumers.
Problem-based projects can also provide students with opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world issues. Each of our panelists suggested that coursework be complemented with work experience in the field. Duncan called this ‘pushing education to the point of practice.’ Panelists and participants agreed student experiences in field or work experiences allow them to develop and apply creative thinking and problem-solving skills that are so important in the workforce.
Symposium participants briefly discussed issues of life-long learning and credentialing. Anne, Bonnie, and Duncan raised the point that information professionals need to continuously update their skillsets through lifelong learning. There was general agreement with these points, but the symposium
participants did not make firm recommendations regarding the best ways for iSchools to attend to the life-long learning needs of information professionals.
Gary asked about the value of providing credentialing for the information professions. Symposium participants were split on this topic. Most argued against credentialing for the profession as a whole but some saw the value of certification or credentialing for specific areas of expertise. Charles Lowry
104 suggested there may be value, for instance, in providing a credential or certification in specialties in demand in the workforce such as data curation. Bonnie and Anne noted that employers in industry expect continuous updating of certifications in specific areas such as project management and
suggested there would be merit for the iSchools to do so as well. Laura Sheble noted that students are attracted to programs due to their specializations and Nancy Roderer added that certifications or credentials are important to students because they provide a mark of achievement. Barbara Wildemuth suggested that such a mark of specialization could be advantageous in a job-search and that offering such certifications could be a way for iSchools to participate in continuing education for information professionals.
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